a mothering spirit

Thinking about my role as mother and what it means to be the nest when your babies begin to fledge.

She has tiny wings, seemingly too small to fly. Like a bumblebee.

Rooted and flying at the same time.

I caught her in a quiet moment among the trees.

sleeping mouse

Shh...the mouse is sleeping.

A little project I've been envisioning for a while, tucked inside one of my favorite enamel cups.

I'm going to be the featured member artist at The Crossing Arts Alliance Gift Shop in September. I'll need to bring in some gifty type things so I thought this would be a good place to start. I feel so prepared! Though, if I run true to form, I'll be making the rest of my pieces in mid-August sometime.

I've been branded!

A little gushing... 

I'm a happy camper today. I picked up my new business cards, notecards, and packaging for wool bundles yesterday from my favorite local print shop, Lakes Printing in Brainerd MN and they're beautiful! Designer Sera put together a logo for me (I feel official!) that I'm thrilled with, the quality of everything is beyond my expectations, AND I'm supporting a local business that supports my community. (Kevin, the owner, is a champion of non-profits)

I had been using an online printing company for years for my cards. I liked their quality well enough that I was willing to overlook some of their shipping issues (boxes of bent cards, anyone?). I didn't think that I could get the same quality and prices locally, but clearly I was mistaken. As much as I like supporting local, I'm surprised it took me this long to get on board with my printing. Kind of kicking myself, actually.

Blatant plug! If you are in the Brainerd Lakes area, give Lakes Printing a call when you need to give your business a fresh start or a little marketing oomph. Kevin is amazing and full of ideas to help your work shine. Give them a call.

shop update Nov. 29 10am CST

I'll be adding a few stones to my shop today and they'll go on sale tomorrow, Sunday Nov. 29th at 10am, Central Time.

If you're interested, keep an eye on my shop HERE.

Thank you!

randomness on a Wednesday

I found a mushroom that looks like it would be perfect for a little gnome to nap under.

I was totally wowed last week at the Wicked creativity found at this quilt show in the gallery at work.

I found out what happens when a sock gets left outside too long.

My daughter found a new friend who was very good at grabbing her with his sticky feet.

I have decided I need to change my name to this.  

Happy Wednesday, everyone. 

interview on the Kanelstrand blog

Goose and I are featured on the Kanelstrand blog today.  If you don't know Sonya's blog, you should definitely stop by and have a read.  She's a great source for ideas on living a simple, meaningful, healthy life, and a talented photographer to boot.

Thank you, Sonya!

supplies in the shop for a limited time

 

If you've ever wanted to try needle-felting, you can now get a sampler of wool and needles in my shop for a limited time.

When I first started needle-felting I used whatever kind of wool I could get my hands on.  As I progressed I realized that some of those wools just weren't cutting it.  After much trial and error I found a wool that I love- it felts quickly, forms a solid core, and has a nice surface texture.  It's the only wool I use for needle-felting.

 The fact that it's a rambouillet grown right here in Minnesota is the cherry on top.  I've hand-dyed it using Greener Shades dyes which are free of heavy metals, making them a more environmentally conscious option than most commercial dyes.

I have just a couple of samplers in my shop right now along with sets of felting needles to get you started.

Interested in becoming addicted  exploring a new hobby?  Have a look in my shop.

New Brooches

I've been playing with a new concept for brooches and I'm hooked.
The hubby and I have been making wood buttons and I noticed that some of the birch pieces we had cut had decayed between the bark and the wood, just enough that I was able to pop off the outer ring of bark.  I took these rings, sanded them and waxed them, then fitted them with a piece of wool felt that I made by wet-felting.  Some I've sewn little details in, others I've left alone.

I'll be putting these in my Etsy shop sometime later today.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Shop Update Today

It's Friday!  Hooray!  I'll be having a small shop update today. 

I only have a few things to list, but I'll give you a sneak peek at some new pieces.

A new wool brooch inspired by the coming of spring.

A wool terrarium housed inside a vintage Crown canning jar.

A cheery toadstool brooch, the colors of which make me smile.

There will be another brooch or two in the shop as well.  I hope to sit down around noon CST and add these to the shop.  With luck, I'll be doing another update next week with some new projects I've been tinkering with. 

Enjoy your Friday, everyone!  I hope you all have fabulous plans for the weekend.  If you get a chance, stop by Pat's blog and read her post on the new addtions to her vintage button collection.  What does your Magpie favor?

Button and Stitch by Kristen Rask

I just caught this article on the Craft blog about the new Button and Stitch book by Kristen Rask and was surprised and excited to see a very familiar project included...

Craftzine.com blog : Book Review: Button and Stitch by Kristen Rask

More Mushrooms

I must have fungus on the brain.  Here is what I've been working on this week.

Mushrooms for your desk...a wool terrarium scene planted in a blue mason jar.

Mushrooms for your lapel...brooches made of recycled sweater wool.

And a flower brooch.  Not a mushroom.  Just to shake things up.  Also made of felted wool sweater and an awesome vintage mother of pearl button.

I hope to get some more work done this weekend. I feel like I'm on a roll right now, creatively, and want to ride it out and see where it goes.  Whether you're in the studio or in front of the TV this weekend, I hope you all have a great one.

Open

I reopened my Etsy shop today, after taking a break over the holidays.  I had a chance to clear my head, finish some nagging projects around the house, entertain a dear friend, and take some time to refocus.  I'm excited about some of the new pieces I'm working on, and look forward to sharing my ideas with you all.

Toadstool Hollow - a needlefelted scene intended to hold and display your favorite nature finds.

A wool terarrium scene complete with pebbles, sporophytes, and toadstool.

Encircled brooch - made of linen and wool and an acorn so you will never be far from the woods.

Sweet Toadstool Heart brooch- made of felted wool sweaters.

Outtakes

A picture tells a thousand words. 

As someone who makes and sells craftwork online, I struggle with taking a good picture of my items.  I have neither a fancy camera nor mad photography skills so I have to work hard to get a picture that I like.  I want a picture that portrays the item accurately, but also one that conveys a "feeling", my feeling of the item.

The sweet Karen posted a comment on my blog tonight, complimenting me on my photos, and her comment made me feel compelled to share my process.   

Here's what I know works for me. 

First I shoot in natural light near a window.  I find that 10:00am to 11:00am offers light that is kind of moody and nice.  Any later than that, and the light no longer throws shadows, something that I like in my photos.

I shoot the item while facing slightly into the sun.  

I shoot in macro mode.

I consciously arrange the scene, often with the main item slightly off-center.

I use Picasa, a free photo service offered by Google, to crop and make minor edits to my pictures.

I take many pictures, often running to the computer to check them out before returning to take more or change things up.  This becomes extra fun when I know I'm losing my light and have many things to photograph.   (take photo, run to computer, mutter profanity, run back, take another photo, run back to computer...)

Here are outtakes from today.

This one was shot in a different room than I normally shoot in.  The room was painted yellow which gave kind of a sickly yellow tint to everything.  It has a window, but it did not get a lot of sun in it.  Using a diffuser, I set up a daylight bulb to add extra light.  It looks like it's in an aquarium sort of, don't you think.

This one was shot in the same room, but without the diffused light.  A little better, but a lot of glare, and still that sickly yellow tint.

This is the shot I kept.  I changed rooms, and changed backgrounds and shot into the sun.  I like this one much more.

So please, fellow photo-takers, share your tips.  I'd love to hear what works for you and what doesn't.  What are your secrets?

Backyard Visitors

We had visitors again yesterday.  One quietly crept up within 12 feet or so of my kitchen door, curiously sniffing my birdfeeder (from the talented Joe Papendick) while her friend stayed a bit further behind.  She could tell we were there behind the glass and her ears were twitching this way and that, trying to get a good listen.  I snapped a few pics then the two of them bounded off, white tails in the air, legs bouncing impossibly high behind them. 

We need to discourage them from coming this close to the house, but it's hard to pass up these special moments.

On another note, I've enjoyed having some time off from crafting and my shop and am returning feeling somewhat refreshed and energized.  I have many  new ideas in my head and look forward to sharing them with you soon.  My etsy shop will reopen on Friday, Jan. 29th and I hope to have regular updates in the weeks following.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

A Place Of My Own

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, life is starting to slow down again.  I'm taking advantage of this time to kind of regroup and reorganize myself.  I've started with my workspace, a place that had until now been only a storage place.  After a lot of work, it's now a place where I can actually sit and sew (hide from the kids - tomato/tomatoe) in peace.  It isn't pretty but it suits me just fine.  Oh yes, the walls aren't fully drywalled, and yes, it's in the basement, but it's mine.  All mine.  And it has a door!  Woo hoo!! 

A table to work at!  Now I won't have to clear my sewing off the kitchen table every night before we eat.

The miscellany cache.  Tools, books, and random stuff like antlers, monkeys, and twine.

Getting into the belly of the beast...my vintage buttons, wool roving, leather, and shells.  The shelving to the right holds canvases, framing tools, wood, drawing tools, and wire.

Yeah.  My felted wool.  There are 10 56qt boxes, and three garbage bags full of wool.  Fabric and candle-making supplies are beneath the table to the left.

When cleaning and organizing my new space, it became abundantly clear that um, I have a lot of stuff.  Actually more stuff than will fit in my space.  I need to rectify that so I've made a resolution.  Here goes...deep breath...

I have resolved not to buy any craft supplies for one year. 

EEEEK!!!  No wool, no buttons, no nothin'.  I've been wanting to do this for a while and now seems like the right time.  I'm still allowing myself to gather natural materials and buy parts should some critical tool or piece of machinery break down, but that's it.  I'm alternately terrified and excited.  I may need some support if I spy a great wool coat in the thrift store window.  Is there a wool-addiction support group?  No?  There should be.

Hopefully no one has turned me into that Hoarders show yet.  What I hope is that I will work through some of this stash, simplify a bit, and be stretched creatively by the exercise.

Wish me luck!